delusion in American

SYNONYMY NOTE: delusion implies belief in something that is contrary to fact or reality, resulting from deception,
a misconception, or a mental disorder [to have delusions of grandeur]; illusion suggests the false perception or interpretation of something that has objective existence
[perspective in drawing gives the illusion of depth]; hallucination implies the apparent perception, in nervous or mental disorder, of something external
that is actually not present; , mirage refers to an optical illusion caused by atmospheric conditions, and, in figurative
use, implies an unrealizable hope or aspiration